Typewriter desks



May 23, 1967 R. T. CARLSON 3,321,257

TYPEWRITER DESKS Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

- RAYMOND T. CARLSQN HIS ATTORNEY y 3, 1967 R. T. CARL-SON 3,321,257

TYPEWRITER DESKS Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I]: l2 l8'INVENTOR. RAYMOND T. CARLSON HIS ATTORNEY United States l ate'n't C)3,321,257 TYPEWRITER DESKS Raymond T. Carlson, Lookout Mountain, Ga.(R0. Box 82, Lookout Mountain, Tenn. 37350) Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser.No. 499,907 6 Claims. (Cl. 312-196) This invention pertains totypewriter desks. In a more specific aspect the invention relates to atypewriter desk having a pullout shelf within one side thereof on whichthe typewriter rests.

Normally typewriter desks which have a pullout shelf are of two types.In one type the typewriter is carried on a shelf which is positioned toride on runners. Metal, nylon and other plastic wheels are attached tothe shelf, or to sliding runners within the desk, or both in the knownmanner employed in filing cabinets and the like. In this type of deskthe runners permit the shelf carrying the typewriter to pull out whileremaining in the same plane. The second type of pullout shelf is thatwherein the shelf changes planes as it is drawn from within the desk.This shelf is of the folding action type. The shelf is pulled outhorizontally and then lifted vertically upwardly during withdrawal.

Both of the desks described herein are subject to the same disadvantage,and this is the position of the type writer itself. The pullout shelfis, of course, perpendicular to the desk. The typewriter thereon,consequently, is parallel to the front side of the desk. In other words,in the type of desk having a pullout typewriter shelf, the desk is veryclose to the typists left or right arm, leaving very little workingroom. In addition most typewriter desks have a bank or vertical row ofutility and file drawers disposed within the desk at its corner oppositethe pullout typewriter shelf. Ready access to the file drawers duringtyping, and restricted or limited working area when the file drawer iopened have been the source of a problem which has remained unsolved formany years.

While no solution to the problem is known, one possibility would be tomount a Lazy Susan type of revolving shelf on the typewriter pulloutshelf. However, being round, such a rotating shelf would be difficult tohold in place during the typing operation. According to the practice ofthis invention means are contemplated for turning the front end of thetypewriter away from the desk in a manner whereby it remains in placeduring use. It has been found that a type of turntable differing from aLazy Susan can be used. In accordance with this invention there isprovided a turntable vertically spaced from the typewriter shelf, butpivotally mounted thereon for horizontal partial axial rotation aboutsaid pivot, the turntable being substantially rectangular or squareexcept for a cut-off corner forming a short fifth side. The inventionencompasses this turntable in combination with a restraining rnember sodisposed on the typewriter shelf as to permit abutment of the fifth sidethereagainst during pivotal motion to stop the turntable, the fifth sidedetermining the turntable positioning angle. In addition means areemployed opposing the movement of the turntable away from saidrestraining member during typing.

The various features and advantages of this invention can, perhaps, bestbe understood by reference to the accompanying drawings. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a desk as it appears with its typewritershelf closed, the typewriter being within the desk.

FIG. 2 is the top view of the desk of FIG. 1 with a conventionaltypewriter shelf in typing position.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a desk similar to FIG. 1 with the typewriterpositioned according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of part of the desk of FIG. 3 showing thetypewriter shelf of the invention.

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Referring now specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a desk 2 havingutility drawers 4 and a double file drawer 5. Numeral 6 designates afront of a pullout typewriter shelf, the typewriter being enclosed by alid 8 having a folding false drawer front 10.

FIG. 2 shows typewriter 12 in position on shelf 14 in the conventionalmanner. It can be seen that with file drawer 5 open, working space for atypist on chair 16 is extremely limited. This can be contrasted withFIG. 3 which shows a turntable 11 of this invention.

FIG. 3 shows a folding action type typewriter shelf in a right-handeddesk, the shelf being on the left. This shelf i pushed downwardly andinwardly to return it inside desk 2. After return of typewriter shelf 14to its position within the desk, a door 18 hinged by means of pin hinges19 is closed. The front side of door 18 generally is designed so thatwhen closed it appears that the desk contains drawers. As can be seenfrom FIG. 3, rather than resting on shelf 14 in the usual manner,typewriter 12 rests on turntable 11.

Turntable 11 is substantially either rectangular, or square, except thatit has one corner cut off to form a short fifth side s. When partiallyrotated in a clockwise direction, turntable 11 moves until short side 3abuts against a vertical upright member such as strip 20. The fifth sideis at the back, considering that the typist sits in front of thetypewriter, and nearest the leading edge 13. A catch can be attached tothe underside of turntable 11 to engage a keeper in shelf 14.Preferably, however, pivot 17 is so placed off center that forwardmotion created by typing does not drive the turntable back to itsoriginal position as would be the case if the pivot were in the center.The turntable thus is in pivotal engagement with the original typewritershelf.

Desirably the pivotal engagement of the turntable with the shelf isaccomplished by the use of two washers (not shown), eliminatingconcentrated drag. The turntable is held by a bolt or other meansthrough the washers. Turntable 11 is thus vertically spaced butpivotally mounted on shelf 14 for horizontal motion until it engages astrip or other restraining member 20. While not necessary, a frictioncatch 22 can be placed within turntable 11 to engage restraining strip2! in order to further oppose the movement of the turntable away fromthe restraining member during typing. A preferred catch would be abullet catch or ball strike catch. However a magnetic catch, elbow catchor thumb latch can be used.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is shown (without the typewriter)in FIG. 4 wherein the turntable is designated 30. Shelf 32 is a pullouttypewriter shelf carried by nylon or ball bearing drawer slides 31 inthe usual manner employed in dishwashers, refrigerators, and the like,the slide means consisting of mounting brackets, roller brackets andself-aligning tracks, preferably triroller drawer slides. In this typeof pullout shelf, the restraining member for short side s desirably isthe shelf front 34. This is convenient since such pullout shelvesgenerally have false drawer fronts. False drawer front 34 thus serves anornamental purpose as well as a useful purpose in restraining furtherrotation of turnable 30.

In either a right-handed or a left-handed desk, the short side s is atthe front corner nearest the leading edge 34, considering the typewriterposition. It is generally desirable to glue a felt pad 35 to the shelfbeneath the turntable but away from the pivot. This felt memberpartially supports the turntable, quieting typing noises, and making theturntable move more smoothly.

Again the pivot point is placed off center to resist rotation of theturntable during typing. In the case of a socalled right-handed desk,with the typewriter shelf on the left, the pivot point will be in, or onthe line bordering, the second quardant, considering the turntable,viewed from above and in front of the desk, as being divided into fourquadrants. Preferably, the pivot point will be on the border line, whichwill place it on one center line but not on the other. Thus when viewedfrom the front of the desk, the pivot point will be on a lineequidistant between the turntable sides but in back of a lineequidistant between the front and the back of the turntable, desirablycloser to the back than to the center.

In a left-handed desk; where the typewriter shelf and its turntable areon the right, the short fifth side will still be at the front outsidecorner relative to the typewriter. In his instance, however, the pivotpoint will be in the first quadrant or on the border thereof. It isstill preferred that the pivot be on a line equidistant between thesides of the turntable but closer to the back than to the center.

Referring again to FIG. 4 a hole 36 is provided for a cord in the caseof an electric typewriter. The figure also shows the action of lid 8 andfront 10 which hide the typewriter when the shelf is closed. It isobvious that whether the turntable is rectangular or square will dependupon the width of the pullout shelf. If the shelf is considerably widerthan the depth of a typewriter, the width of the turntable can besomewhat less than the width of the typewriter shelf. Normally, however,the pullout shelf will not be wider than necessary. Moreover theturntable generally will be no wider than the shelf upon which it iscarried, because in the absence of special design features it would beimpossible to pull out the shelf. The turntable is thus shaped foroverlying marginal registration with the shelf, the edge of theturntable being directly above the side of the shelf. Othermodifications will be apparent from the foregoing description taken inconjunction with the drawings. For example rather than a strip of wood,any type of restraining member can be used such as a block, metalL-shaped bracket, etc. In addition if a metal desk is used instead of awooden desk, the turntable restraining member will be an upstandingflange along the front side of the pullout shelf. Such variations aredeemed to be within the scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a desk having a pullout typewriter shelf disposed within one sidethereof the combination of a turntable vertically spaced from the shelfbut pivotally mounted thereon for horizontal movement about saidmounting pivot, the pivot being positioned ofi center, the turntablebeing substantially rectangular or square except for a short fifth sideformed by a cutoff corner, with a vertical upright restraining stripdisposed on said shelf and so attached to the shelf as to permitabutment of the fifth side thereagainst during pivoting to stop theturntable, the fifth side and the strip determining the ultimateturntable position, and means opposing movement of the turntable awayfrom said restraining member during typing.

2. The desk of claim 1 wherein the pullout shelf is in self-aligningtracks in the left hand side of the desk;

wherein the fifth side is at the front corner, considering thetypewriter position, nearest the leading edge of the pullout shelf;wherein the restraining strip against which the fifth side abuts is afalse drawer front secured to the pullout shelf at its leading edge; andwherein the pivot is placed in the second quadrant, considering theturntable when viewed from above as being divided into four quadrants.

3. The desk of claim 1 wherein the pullout shelf is in self-aligningtracks in the right hand side of the desk; wherein the fifth side is atthe front corner, considering the typewriter position, nearest theleading edge of the pullout shelf; wherein the restraining strip againstwhich the fifth side abuts is a false drawer front secured to thepullout shelf at its leading edge; and wherein the pivot is placed inthe first quadrant, considering the turntable when viewed from above asbeing divided into four quadrants.

4. The desk of claim 1 wherein the pullout shelf is in self-aligningtracks in the left hand side of the desk; wherein the fifth side is atthe front corner, considering the typewriter position, nearest theleading edge of the pullout shelf; wherein the restraining strip againstwhich the fifth side abuts is a false drawer front secured to thepullout shelf at its leading edge; and wherein the pivot is placed on aline equidistant between the sides of the turntable but closer to theback than to the center, when viewed from the front of the desk.

5. The desk of claim 1 wherein the pullout shelf is in self-aligningtracks in the right hand side of the desk; wherein the fifth side is atthe front corner, considering the typewriter position, nearest theleading edge of the pullout shelf; wherein the restraining strip againstwhich the fifth side abuts is a false drawer front secured to thepullout shelf at its leading edge; and wherein the pivot is placed on aline equidistant between the sides of the turntable but closer to theback than to the center, when viewed from the front of the desk.

6. The desk of claim 1 wherein the pullout shelf is a folding actiontype in the left hand side of the desk; wherein the fifth side is at theback nearest the leading edge of the pullout shelf, considering thetypewriter position, wherein the restraining strip against which thefifth side abuts is a vertical upright forming a back wall behind thetypewriter; and wherein the pivot is placed in the second quadrant,considering the turntable when viewed from above as being divided intofour quadrants.

References Cited by the Examiner CHANCELLGR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A DESK HAVING A PULLOUT TYPEWRITER SHELF DISPOSED WITHIN ONE SIDETHEREOF THE COMBINATION OF A TURNTABLE VERTICALLY SPACED FROM THE SHELFBUT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED THEREON FOR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT SAIDMOUNTING PIVOT, THE PIVOT BEING POSITIONED OFF CENTER, THE TURNTABLEBEING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OR SQUARE EXCEPT FOR A SHORT FIFTH SIDEFORMED BY A CUTOFF CORNER, WITH A VERTICAL UPRIGHT RESTRAINING STRIPDISPOSED ON SAID SHELF AND SO ATTACHED TO THE SHELF AS TO PERMITABUTMENT OF THE FIFTH SIDE THEREAGAINST DURING PIVOTING TO STOP THETURNTABLE, THE FIFTH SIDE AND THE STRIP DETERMINING THE ULTIMATETURNTABLE